COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Zariah Donovan will celebrate her first birthday on September 13 at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, but without a cross-country move from Utah to Columbus, it’s a day her parents weren’t sure she would ever see.

“We were told by the medical team we had a zero percent chance of survival,” said Zariah’s father, Shawn Donovan. “The only chance we had to survive was a miracle and we felt this was the miracle we were looking for, so it was no hesitation. It ‘I’m moving to Ohio.’”

Zariah suffers from a Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, a chronic lung disease. Her doctors in Utah contacted Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where doctors give Zariah a 96 percent chance to survive – this after being paralyzed just two weeks ago.

“They pulled her off paralytics, she was smiling, she was happy. She’s done great,” Donovan said.

While Zariah does great, her mother, V, and two-year-old sister, Raven, remain in Utah so V can keep her health insurance. Months ago, she was told her daughter would not survive.

“It’s being told that there’s no hope. You’re going to lose your child that you carried,” she said. “But as a parent, we never gave up hope.”

Zariah and her father expect to be in Columbus for about a year, with monthly visit from mom and Raven.

“Nationwide has given her a chance to live, it’s amazing,” said Donovan. “A couple months ago, we were thinking she wouldn’t make it through the night and now she’s going to see her first birthday and, one day, I’ll be walking her down the aisle. It’s a scary thought, but I’m happy for it.”